Steady tenants are a welcome variety, but you can’t expect them to stay forever. Over the last decade, between one in four and one in five renter households moved every year.
After a tenant leaves, you need to prepare the apartment for the next person. This is known as the apartment turnover time. Your goal is to minimize turnover time and start renting again. Prep work may vary from small maintenance items, such as deep cleaning the carpet, to larger repairs that require professional contractors.
Whether your first tenant asked to move out or Indianapolis apartment turnovers are routine for you, it’s worth having a plan on how to proceed with maintenance and improve your time.
Here are several ways to optimize your apartment maintenance and repair stats after tenants move out, so you can cut down on apartment turnover time in Indianapolis.
Practice Apartment Maintenance
Apartment maintenance requires an ongoing and upfront cost with scheduling throughout the year (a property manager can take this off your plate), but it’s the best way to safeguard your rental unit against major repairs. Maintenance allows you to keep tabs on everything and address concerns early. If there’s less to fix when a tenant leaves, your turnover time will be minimal.
Hire a Make-Ready Technician (or Know Who to Call)
A “Make-Ready” Technician is someone who is familiar with your property and specializes in preparing the apartment for its next tenant. Larger properties, and/or highly profitable properties, usually employ on-site maintenance technicians for this purpose–sometimes with full-time availability. Keep in mind: the make-ready technician shouldn’t assist with repairs that require a licensed contractor (unless the make-ready technician is also certified).
If a make-ready technician isn’t a plausible solution, create a list of apartment maintenance technicians and repair contractors. This method may not be as timely, as it will depend on the availability of the contractor, but it’s better knowing who to call than starting from scratch.
Collect Data to Improve Your Operational Efficiency
To improve your average apartment turnaround time, you need data that shows areas of weakness. For example, if deep cleaning carpets is a time sink, consider removing carpets in favor of hardwood floors. Similarly, if it takes hours for a maintenance tech to clean an old stove by hand, replace it with a stove that has self-cleaning functionality. The best way to optimize your turnaround time is to track how much time each maintenance service takes. Over time, your data should show you where to improve.
Keep an Inventory of Common Replacement Products
You know what your apartment requires. This allows you to stock up on necessities ahead of time. For example, you might purchase extra paint in case the color becomes hard to find in the future or you’re able to get it at a good price. Similarly, you might invest in locks with a replaceable inner cylinder. This allows you to quickly change locks.
Set Apartment Maintenance Expectations
A few crayon drawings on a wall isn’t cause to re-paint the entire wall. Provide your maintenance workers with a clearly defined list of expectations. For example, does a kitchen floor need to be fully mopped or is a broom sweep and removal of major stains appropriate? Don’t leave the maintenance cleaners guessing.
Save Time Preparing Your Indianapolis Apartment for a New Tenant
Scheduling maintenance and repairs may seem daunting, especially if you weren’t expecting your tenant to leave. Having a plan ahead of a tenant’s notice will help you cut down on apartment turnover time in Indianapolis. Anticipate what services you’ll need, and stock backup supplies. Hire a make-ready technician, or have several numbers for contractors you trust.. Finally, document the time it takes for maintenance and repairs, so you know where to improve.
If preparing an apartment for a new tenant (and conducting interviews) sounds exhausting, there’s always the option to hire a property manager in Indianapolis, such as WILMOTH Group. We know everything it takes to ready your apartment for a new resident, including locating tenants. Call (866) 945-6684 to save time on apartment management.
